The UNCW men’s basketball staff spent the weekend entertaining recruits on campus. Those efforts paid off Saturday night when the Seahawks landed a verbal commitment from Mark Matthews, a rising senior from Fort Myers, Fla. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound swingman is the first addition to the team’s 2015 recruiting class.

Mark Matthews gave an oral commitment to UNCW on Saturday night. (submitted photo)

Matthews visited Wilmington this weekend, along with Alpharetta, Ga. swingman Devontae Cacok. He had scheduled trips to Elon and George Mason the next two weekends but cancelled those plans after making his pledge to UNCW. He also listed High Point and Northeastern among his finalists after sorting through 16 total Division I offers.

“They made me a priority and told me I was their No. 1 guy, which I obviously loved,” Matthews said. “They told me I’d have the chance to come in and maybe start as a freshman. I loved hearing that.”

Heading into the weekend, Matthews said UNCW was his top choice, but he wasn’t expecting to make a pick so quickly. The new staff, however, completed its sell during the visit and changed his plan.

The Florida native toured campus for the first time Friday and spent about half an hour discussing the decision with his parents Saturday evening at their hotel. He gave his commitment following dinner at coach Kevin Keatts’ home.

“I just thought about it and it felt like the right place and the right time,” Matthews said.

UNCW worked quickly to secure Matthews. Assistant Casey Stanley took the lead on his recruitment, according to the player. The Seahawks offered him a scholarship during the first July live period at the Battle of the Best Summer Showcase in Atlanta.

“Mark’s the hardest-working player I’ve ever coached, a pure gym rat, in there all the time,” Fort Myers coach Scott Guttery said. “He’s going to be a heck of a college basketball player with his work ethic, his size and his basketball intelligence.”

Matthews said UNCW stood out with its plan for him. While other schools saw him as a spot-up shooter, the Seahawks’ staff talked about showcasing his full offensive arsenal. He expects to split most of his time between the 2 and 3 positions in college, but Keatts told him he’ll have the chance to initiate the offense, at times, as well.

“They want me as an all-around scorer, somebody who comes in and attacks the rim and does it all for them,” Matthews said.

UNCW is expected to have at least three scholarships available for its next recruiting class. The Seahawks are scheduled to graduate Cedrick Williams, Freddie Jackson and Addison Spruill after this season.

It makes sense for coach Kevin Keatts to target another wing scorer in this class. Matthews and Jarvis Haywood, who is sitting out this season after transferring from Jacksonville University, can help replace Jackson and Spruill in 2015-2016. Matthews plans to make his commitment official when the early signing period begins Nov. 12.

[…] men’s basketball got started on its Class of 2015 on Saturday night when swingman Mark Matthews pledged during an official visit. The Seahawks will have at least two more scholarships left to fill, so coach Kevin Keatts retains […]

[…] Cacok’s height might be a concern against some Division I power forwards, but his athleticism for his size helped him impress college coaches. His high school coach described him as “springy” in this Atlanta Journal-Constitution story from February about Cacok’s rise as a college prospect. The forward made an official visit to UNCW last month, the same weekend as Matthews. […]

[…] Keatts spent eight seasons at the military boarding school before joining the staff at Louisville in 2011, and his former player and assistant A.W. Hamilton still coaches the Tigers. Grundy becomes the third member of UNCW’s Class of 2015, joining forward Devontae Cacok and swingman Mark Matthews. […]

About This Blog

Hey there, I’m StarNews staff writer Eric Detweiler, and I handle the UNCW beat. I’m a Pennyslvania native who went to the University of Maryland and came to Wilmington in August 2013 after stops in Denver and Washington, D.C. Feel free to reach out with questions or comments about our coverage of the Seahawks. Thanks for reading.